Child Policy

RAND Child Policy serves as a gateway to RAND research on children's issues from prenatal to age 18, and provides easy access to objective information that will help improve policy and decisionmaking. RAND research on child policy is conducted by multiple research divisions, and draws upon the expertise of over 140 researchers and consultants.

Child Policy research is organized by topic area, including research projects and publications. We deliver up-to-date research findings on children's issues to those who need it at the local, state, and national level. In addition, we offer a monthly email announcement of new RAND publications and projects, as well as a quarterly newsletter for Congressional staff.

We also operate the Promising Practices Network (PPN) on Children, Families and Communities to provide easy-to-understand information on what works to improve outcomes for children and their families.

More »Featured Research

What Does Economics Tell Us About Early Childhood Policy? — May 12, 2008

A growing body of economic research suggests that public investment in early childhood programs may be able to lower public costs for social services by improving children's long-term welfare.

Full Document News Release Research Brief

Charter School Students in Chicago Enjoy Better Graduation, College Entry Rates — May 7, 2008

Chicago's multi-grade charter high schools (those serving students in grades 7-12, 6-12 or K-12) appear to improve their students' chances of graduating and attending college, as compared with the city's traditional public high schools.

Full Document News Release Research Brief

More »Featured Project

Ask the Experts about Television Exposure in Young Children — Apr. 16, 2008

Child Policy experts take your questions about television exposure in young children. Answers will be posted and will be announced in an upcoming PPN newsletter.

View All »Related News & Commentary

May 12, 2008: RAND Study Provides Primer for Using Economics to Help Guide Early Childhood Policy Initiatives

May 7, 2008: Charter School Students in Chicago Enjoy Better Graduation, College Entry Rates

April 4, 2008: Miscommunication Hindered Student Participation in Choice Programs Created by No Child Left Behind Act

April 2, 2008: Availability of Drinking Water in California Public Schools, By Mark A. Schuster

January 29, 2008: California Lags Nation in Tracking Students' Educational Progress

View All »Featured Reports

Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise

Considers the potential consequences of not investing additional resources in children's lives, the range of early intervention programs, the demonstrated benefits of interventions having high-quality evaluations, the features associated with successful programs, and the returns to society associated with investing early in the lives of disadvantaged children. The findings indicate the existence of a body of sound research that can guide resource allocation decisions.

Full Document

Inspiration, Perspiration, and Time: Operations and Achievement in Edison Schools

In 2000, Edison Schools, the nation's largest education management organization, asked RAND to analyze its achievement outcomes and design implementation. RAND evaluated Edison's strategies for promoting student achievement in its schools, how it implemented those strategies, how its management affected student achievement, and what factors explained differences in achievement trends among its schools.